Untitled
by floweroftheages
Summary: When Aria left for college, they promised they'd keep in touch. But 20 years later, nothing seemed to have gone the way they planned... And when Aria's daughter arrives in Rosewood, things are about to stirr up... Read & Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: **Well, it was a long time ago since I wrote any fanfiction and I'm currently suffering from a bit of a writer's block on my original fiction, so I thought, I'd go back to this for a while. And I must say, it was fun!

So, this is a Pretty Little Liars fanfic that will focus mostly on the relationship between Aria and Ezra, or maybe more so the eventual outcome of it... That's not clear at all, I know, but by the second chapter or so, it should become a lot more... clear? But I guess you could say, that the premise is that Aria went away for college, and things didn't really turn out as she and Ezra would have hoped. And some years later, someone comes back to Rosewood... Who is it? Well, you'll find out soon enough.

I hope you enjoy this read, and tell me if you liked it!

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

_"Hey, I'm proud of you." He said it with a smile, even though it broke his heart._

_"You are?"_

_"Of course, are you kidding me?" he smiled again. Ezra hated the way it made them both feel. Especially her. This was something she had worked hard for. Having been her teacher, he knew it better than anyone. She deserved this._

_Aria let the large envelope take flight. It landed with a thump on the kitchen table. She sighed._

_"I'm not sure. I mean, I haven't decided... yet."_

_"What?" Ezra took her hand in his, leading her to the couch. "Aria, you can not seriously be thinking about not going to-"_

_"It's just one of several colleges, and I haven't heard from most of the others yet." she interrupted him, standing up again. "I haven't even heard from Hollis yet!"_

_"You'll get into Hollis, that's the least of your worries."_

_Aria caught herself nodding, but Ezra just smiled at her confidence. He was right, Hollis wasn't the problem. The problem was California and the distance. The long distance. The two of them had been through a lot so they could be together. But Aria wasn't so sure they could survive this. Her going to off to the West Coast and Ezra staying in Rosewood. It wouldn't matter how much they loved each other, the distance would be far too great. She knew she would be content with staying in Rosewood and attending Hollis too. It had been apart of her plan, even before she met Ezra. Hollis was a good school, there was no doubt about it. But it was something about going off, leaving the place where she felt the most safe to explored something so different, it was something about it that excited her. And of course, a degree form University of California didn't sound so bad either._

_As though he'd read her mind, Ezra spoke._

_"Hollis is a great college, that's not what I'm saying. But Aria, you have a chance to go to UC Berkeley." he said, almost spelling it out to get it across. As if the large envelope with the dark blue seal wasn't enough. "I wouldn't want to stand in your way of that."_

_And there it was. Her big hazel eyes grew even bigger and her mouth fell open, drawing a horrified breath as Ezra looked down. He sighed, feeling her hands come up to his face, her thumb gently stroking his three day scruff._

_"And I don't want you to think like that." Aria said, trying to be as convincing as possible. "You-"_

_"It's true, though." Ezra looked at her. "You know, just as well as I do that you wouldn't be staying here because you didn't want to go to Berkeley."_

_"No, you're right." Aria let her hands fall to her lap. "I would love to go to UC Berkeley. But you know what I love more? You."_

_Ezra let out a little laugh._

_"What's so funny?" She wasn't sure what to make of it, but having conversations like this had always been somewhat of thorn to their relationship._

_"That's crazy, Aria." he said, simply._

_"Why is that so crazy?" she was starting to become irritated with him. "Go ahead, enlighten me. Please."_

_"You are 17."_

_He sounded very final, it surprised Aria somewhat. But she was far from done. He walked over to the window, and for some time, he just stood there._

_"What does that have-"_

_"You are 17."_

_"Don't you think I know that? What's going on with you? One minute you're happy for me, the next we're rehearsing for that stupid play all over again!"_

_Ezra frowned. "What are you talking about?" He took a second look at her, as though there were clues left in her face. But there were no clues. Instead her usual ivory complexion was tinted with red._

_"You know, I would think you don't get involved with a student on a whim." Aria blurted out, at first not sure if she should regret it or not. But she decided quickly that she didn't care. He'd gotten her worked up, he'd have to deal with that. "I thought we were both sure where this was headed."_

_"We've had this conversation before, Aria." Ezra sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You know I love you."_

_"Yes, we have, but you seem to keep changing your mind!" Aria smacked a book back in place on the shelf. "And suddenly, I'm not so sure what to think."_

_"About what?"_

_"If you love me, why wouldn't you want to me stay here?"_

_"Because I can't stand knowing I held you back. Trust me, Aria, I want you to stay. But I can't have that hanging over me. I can't have that on my conscience."_

_There was a long pause, none of them said anything. They just stood there, on opposite sides the room. And even though Ezra's apartment was small and the distance between them in fact wasn't much, Aria had never felt further away from him. She had no words, and it was a first._

_"You don't get it..."_

_"You're right. I really don't." Aria took her bag from one of the chairs, flinging it over her shoulder and with quick steps moved towards the door._

_"Aria, don't-" Ezra took hold of Aria's arm, making her stop. She wouldn't look at him, but she wasn't pulling away either. "Aria, please... Look at me. You don't have to leave."_

_Ezra felt her tiny arm flex underneath the palm of his hand and he loosened his grip. She slowly turned around. She wasn't tearing up, she wasn't crying, but Ezra could see the anger in her face. Somehow, that was worse. He had never seen her like that._

_"You're more concerned about the well-being of your own conscience, than trusting that I know what's right for me? You know, that's just as selfish."_

_"Aria... I'm-"_

_She shook her arm out of his grip, putting her hand on the door knob. "And for you to think I would ever hold it against you..."_

_Aria closed the door behind her. Not even slamming it just made it worse, and Ezra had to sit down._

_What had just happened, he wasn't sure of._

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **So, this chapter, it might not clear things up, but it certainly "reveals" a few points that some of you have asked about. And it introduces a new character who we don't know from the tv show, or the books for that matter. Chapter three will be much more like chapter one, or so I have it planned anyways, but you never know. I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it's not very long and doesn't feature hardly anything with out favorites! But please stick around, it'll get good! You'll just have to wait for it! Take care!

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Joni looked at the big house, the porch wrapped around to the back, with flowers along the wooden railings. At 13, she spent an entire summer, sitting on that porch, reading what had seemed like every book in the entire house. She missed it. Not that they didn't have books in the city, quite the opposite. The hallway in her parents' apartment was entirely devoted to books, they didn't even have a place to have their jackets.

No. She had missed this house, this place, this town. To most, Rosewood was nothing compared to New York. But Joni saw everything in it. The old ladies sitting on the bench outside the post office, the calm streets, the nature nearby. It was a close knit community, which had grown together from years of both happiness and tragedies. In New York, Joni wasn't sure her landlord even knew her name.

In the midst of her reminiscing, the front door flung open. Joni couldn't help but smile the instant her grandmother came out on the porch.

"Why are you standing out here? I want to hug my granddaughter!" Ella laughed as Joni made her way up the steps with her luggage. "Oh, leave that! Grandpa can get it!"

"No, I got it!" Joni said and laughed, putting down her bags so she could wrap her arms around Ella. Her grandparents were both in their sixties, but neither of them seemed to have any intentions to slow down. She liked that about them. They were always happily busy.

Ella pulled away from her granddaughter to take a good look at her, big blue eyes smiling back at her and a thousand little freckles sprinkled across her face like stars. It had come as quite a shock when, the previous month, Joni had called with the news that she was moving to Rosewood. Ella knew her granddaughter liked it here, but never would she have thought she'd ever move here. But she had been wrong. Joni was a surprised in herself. She was a lot like her mother, but clearly not when it came to Rosewood.

She could count the times Aria had been back home in the last ten years on one hand and it saddened her. When she had moved away for college, it was like she had moved away for good. Ella knew Aria had experienced hard times in her hometown, with the mysterious death of her friend Alison and everything that came with such a tragedy. But it confused Ella a little, and most of all, it grieved her that it had resulted in limited time with her grandchildren. But now Joni had arrived, indefinitely, and Ella couldn't be happier.

"I hope you know how happy we are to have you here, honey." Ella nearly had to fight back a tear, and Joni saw it immediately.

"Awh, you're not going to cry are you?" Joni gave her a kiss on her cheek and another hug. Ella had the kindest of eyes, warm brown and Joni hated to see them on the verge of tears, even if it was out of joy.

"Oh, I'm just fine. Don't worry." Ella smiled. "Let's go find your grandpa."

"I'm going get an apartment eventually. I mean, you won't have to put up with me for the next two years." Joni explained and sipped the last of her coffee. Living with her grandparents was a treat and she appreciated it, but she had not planned on doing so for the duration of college. At some point, she'd need her own place, even if it meant having roommates and pot noodles morning, noon and night.

"You can have your mom's old room for as long as you like." Byron smiled and squeezed Joni's shoulder. "We're just happy to have you."

As Ella cleared the coffee table of plates and coffee cups, Joni stood up and walked over to the fireplace. Like most mantelpieces in a family of four, it was crowded with photo frames. Ella and Byron's wedding photo, photographs of her mother and uncle when they were little. Candid shots of birthdays and little league games and other events of a childhood, of proms and of graduations. Joni's eyes eventually stranded on a photo of her mother, who in her arms held a tiny little baby. Joni laughed, seeing her own scrunched up little face, wrapped in a pink blanket.

"You know I still have that blanket." she noted as her grandfather came up next to her.

"Not with you I hope." Byron joked, taking the photo frame in his hand for a closer look. "You were only a few hours old here."

"Were you there? Cause I can't seem to remember..."

"That's funny, Jo." Byron said, but shook his head, putting the photograph back in its place. He sighed. "No, unfortunately not. California is an awful long trip. And we had no idea when you'd arrive. "

"True..."

"You know, your father almost didn't make it home. Your mom was in-" Byron stopped, mentally cursing himself for mentioning it. He looked to his left. Joni's eyes were focused on another photo. This time of four people. Joni herself, her brother Rufus, and with his arm around Aria, was her dad, Julian. "I'm sorry, honey."

At the blunt mention of her father, it felt like her heart was going to burst. Joni hadn't talked about him with anyone in quite some time. It still felt too hard, too close. But of course, not a day went by without her thinking about him. She wanted to talk about him, say how much it hurt and how much she wanted him back. But she had always had a hard time handling saddness and she hated crying more than anything.

Her mom tried, all the time. When it was decided they'd clean out his closet, Joni had had to get out of the apartment. She couldn't go through his things like that. Toss stuff away just because he wasn't there anymore. Somehow it felt like they were throwing him out too. But of course, she didn't tell anyone that.

Joni cocked her head to the side, and simply smiled. "It's fine."

"You shouldn't have to be this fine, honey." Byron took her in his arms. "He was your dad."

He is my dad, Joni thought to herself. She couldn't say it out loud. She knew what Byron meant, but still. That word. It was so final. _Was_.

"I think I should go upstairs, settle in." Joni kicked herself out of the terrible mindset and smiled for the hundred time. "I have a feeling mom is going to call soon and I better brace myself."

**TBC**


End file.
